Drip control for projecting air conditioners



M. POLOVITCH 3,058,318

Oct. 16, 1962 DRIP CONTROL FOR PROJECTING AIR. CONDITIONERS Filed June 29, 1961 'INVENTOR. MICHAEL POLOVITCH ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,058,318 DRIP CONTROL FOR PROJECTING AIR CONDITIONERS Michael Polovitch, 516 Chilton St., Elizabeth, NJ. Filed June 29, 1961, Ser. No. 120,602 6 Claims. (Cl. 62-289) :This invention deals with a device for controlling the dripping of water from an air conditioner projecting from a building. More specifically, it relates to a pan attached to the underportion of an air conditioner, provided with an air-deflecting battle and absorbing means for temporarily holding water discharged from an air conditioner.

Room conditioners, which are installed in the wall or window of a room, have most of the unit contained in a housing projecting outdoors from the building wall. When such air conditioners are turned on, they discharge a stream of water for about an hour or two until the room air being cooled is dehumidified to a point wherein further condensation is greatly minimized or halted.

This discharged stream of water is annoying, undesirable, and harmful, in that it often falls on passers-by and it sometimes runs down the wall of the building, discoloring it and hastening its deterioration. Some cities now are passing ordinances against such discharge of condensed water. It is possible to catch this water within the unit and to pipe it off to a point where it will do no harm. However, the slinger ring on the air conditioner cooling fan is designed to pick up the condensate and to hurl it through the coils to the outside, since it cools the coils and thus increases considerably the efficiency of the refrigeration system. Removal of this water condensate prior to such action naturally would greatly lower the efiiciency of the air conditioner.

According to the present invention, the cooling action of the water condensate can be retained, yet the dripping of the water from the air conditioner may be controlled without much cost or inconvenience.

The invention may be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawing in which a preferred embodiment is described, and in which FIGURE 1 depicts a side View of such embodiment attached to a projecting air conditioner unit. A top or plan View thereof, with a portion of the absorber sandwich layer cut away, is illustrated in FIGURE 2. FIGURE 3 is a top view of the absorber sandwich with portions of the upper two layers cut away. A side elevation at another embodiment of the present invention, with a portion cut away to expose the absorbing sandwich, is shown in FIG- URE 4, while a front elevation thereof, having a portion cut away to expose the several layers of the absorber sandwich, is illustrated in FIGURE 5. An enlarged perspective side view of the unit shown in FIGURES 4-5, with air conditioner removed, and portions of the duct and tray removed, and a portion of the absorber layer cut away, is depicted in FIGURE 6. Similar numerals refer to similar parts in the various figures.

Referring again to the drawing, numeral 6 refers to an air conditioner housing containing an air conditioner unit and projecting from the outside wall 7 of a building. The present invention comprises a pan 8 having front inwardly-curved Wall 9 and side walls 10 and 10'. Wall 9 has upwardly projecting curved portion 11 which serves as a bafiie. This b aille is disposed so that it faces some of the lower openings 12 in housing 6 through which the air-water spray is blown outwardly by the coil-cooling fan (not shown).

Laid flat on tray 8 is a sheet of absorbent material, preferably in sandwich form, indicated generally by numeral 13, and comprising a central sheet of absorbent material, such as polyurethane sponge, asbestos fiber, treated cellulose sponge sold commercially under the ice trade name AMSCO sponge, or the like. A corrosionresistant metal mesh is preferably disposed at least on top (15) and preferably, also, on the bottom (15') of the absorbent material, thus making up the absorber sandwich referred to herein. The thickness of absorbent layer 14 is preferably /2 to 1", or sufficient to absorb about 3 quarts to one gallon of water, which is the amount usually condensed from an average room by an average air conditioner unit. P an 1 which may be of metal, plastic, or other suitable material, is attached to housing 6 by screwing on straps 16 to the sides 6' of the air conditioner housing, in a manner such as to position rear end 8 of pan 8 about one inch or so away from wall 7, leaving space 17 through which water may be discharged in the event of rain, or in case absorber sandwich 13 was left out for any reason.

Absorbent sheet 14 may be treated with copper quinolinate, mercury or tin organo-meta-llic compound, or other suitable fungicide so as to preserve the absorbent material. The use of metal screens '15'15 (which may be made of plastic coated steel, aluminum, galvanized iron, or the like) is to prevent curling of the absorbent layer 14, and to provide a space over and under the absorbent layer 14- for passage of warm air, as will be outlined further.

When in operation, as soon as the air conditioner in housing 6 has started to operate, water will be condensed from the air being recirculated in the room being cooled, and the slinger ring on the coil cooler fan Will blow a spray of water over the coils in the housing and through front openings .12 of housing 6. When this takes place, baflle 11 will deflect the spray to tray 8, and absorbent layer 14 will absorb the water thus discharged. After about one hour, the amount of water discharged will decrease significantly, at which point absorbent layer 14 will have absorbed around 3 quarts to one gallon of water.

Thereafter, as the amount of water spray is diminished or entirely eliminated, warm air still will be deflected by bafile il and will -be circulated above and below the absorbent layer 14 through the grill networks 1 5-15, which action will have the effect of vaporizing the absorbed water contained in absorbent layer 14, so that, in a matter of one hour or so after the saturation of the layer 114, it will again become dry and ready for the next operation of the air conditioner. In this manner, dripping of water from housing 6 is to a great extent avoided or eliminated.

In FIGURES 46, another form of invention is depicted, wherein a vertical duct E9 is connected with the rear portion of tray 8". In this case, front wall 9 is vertical and a bafile 111 inwardly directed at an angle of about 45 projects upwardly from wall 9. Attached within tray 8'', and disposed close to wall 9 and bafile L1 is inwardly-curved deflector baffle 11 which serves to deflect the spray from the air conditioner 6, and which latter is a projecting portion of the absorbent channel 13.

Absorbent mass l is in the form of a channel closed at side 13'b and open at the opposite side 13's. It may be completely lined with mesh 15 if it is not self-supporting when saturated with water. Space 60 within the channel permits air circulation through the center of the absorbent 13 which preferably is disposed vertically in wavy form and is centrally supported by wires 31 held by nails or screws 20 attached to duct 19, so that air also may circulate in the spaces 32 between the absorbent mass and the inside surfaces of duct =19. The absorbent channel 13' is cut at 33 to provide a short flap 13'b which is attached by screws 35 to rear wall 19a of duct 19, and a long flap l 3 a, already referred to, which flap is disposed on tray 8" under air conditioner 6.

-13'a of absorbent mass 13'.

When the air conditioner 6 is started in the unit depicted in FIGURES 4-6, a Water spray is blown through front openings 12 and is deflected by baflle 1.1 to span 8", whereupon the water is immediately absorbed by flap As the flap becomes saturated, the additional water is soaked up by further portions of absorbent. channel 13' and flap 13'b. Thereafter,

when water discharge ceases or is substantially discontinued, the absorbent mass 13 begins to dry, this drying being aided considerably by the hot air flow deflected by baflle 1 1, and by natural convection of air entering open bottom '19" of duct 19 and passage thereof through spaces 30 and 32 within and around absorbent channel 13'.

I claim:

1. A drip control for an air conditioner projecting from a building and installed in a housing having a perforated from through which an air-water spray is blown by a motor-driven fan, com-prising a pan disposed in spaced relation under said conditioner and having sides and a front wall, a baffle projecting upwardly at an inward angle from said Wall and designed to deflect said spray to said pan, a sheet of absorbent material of size adequate to absorb substantially all of the water sprayed during the dehumidifying period of said conditioner and mounted in a manner to absorb said water from said pan and to permit vaporization of said absorbed water during the running period of said conditioner, and attaching means for attaching said pan to said housing.

2. A drip control for an air conditioner projecting from a building and installed in a housing having a perforated front through Which an air-Water spray is blown by a motor-driven fan, comprising a pan disposed in spaced relation under said conditioner and having sides and a front wall, a baffle projecting upwardly at an in ward angle from said Wall and designed to deflect said spray to' said pan, a sheet of absorbent material of size adequate to absorb substantially all of the water sprayed during the dehumidifying period of said conditioner and mounted in a manner to absorb said water from said pan and to permit vaporization of said absorbed water during. the running period of said conditioner, a layer of mesh material placed at least on one side of said absorbent material, and attaching means for attaching said pan to said housing.

3. A drip control for air conditioners projecting from a building and installed in a housing having a perforated front through which an air-water spray is blown by a motondriven fan, comprising a pan disposed in spaced relation under said conditioner and having sides and a front Wall, a baflie projecting upwardly at an inward angle from said wall and designed to deflect said spray to said pan, a downwardly-projecting duct attached to and behind said pan and adjacent a building and designed to permit water from said pan to flow therein, a sheet of absorbent material mounted vertically in said duct and of size adequate to absorb substantially all of the water sprayed during the dehumidifying period of said conditioner and to permit vaporization of said absorbed Water during the running period of said conditioner, and attaching means for attaching said pan and duct to said housing.

4. A drip control for air conditioners projecting from a building and installed in a housing having a perforated front through which an air-water spray is blown by a motor-driven fan, comprising a pan disposed in spaced relation under said conditioner and having sides and a front Wall, a baflle projecting upwardly at an inward angle from said wall and designed to deflect said spray to said pan, a downwardly-projecting duct attached to and behind said pan and adjacent to a building and designed to permit water from said pan to flow therein, a sheet of absorbent material mounted vertically in a wavy form in said duct and of size adequate to absorb substantially all of the water sprayed during the dehunlidfying period of said conditioner and to permit vaporization of said absorbed water during the running period of said conditioner, a layer of mesh material attached at least to one side of said absorbent material, and attaching means for attaching said pan and duct to said housing.

5. A drip control for air conditioners according to claim 4 and having a sheet of absorbent material covering said pan and connecting with the absorbent material in the duct.

6. A drip control for air conditioners according to claim 5 in which the absorbent material disposed in the duct is in the form of a vertical channel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,527,368 McGrath Oct. 24, 1950 2,628,481 Scofield Feb. 17, 1953 2,716,289 Lauck Aug. 30, 1955 2,736,176 Carlton Feb. 28, 1956 2,802,348 White Aug. 13', 1957 3,000,191 Stark Sept. 19, 196 1 

